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I don’t normally go nuts over which freshmen redshirt and which ones don’t. Obviously, the best kids are going to play, and the ones who need even a little bit of work — in addition to the ones who are at particularly deep positions — are going to sit out the year.

But that all changed on July 23, when NCAA-imposed scholarship reductions basically made deciding which players would redshirt an interesting strategical discussion at Penn State.

Today, ESPN’s Ivan Maisel was granted access the the final staff meeting on the day before the season opener against Ohio, and most of the meeting evidently dealt with exactly those decisions: Which freshmen would play, and which ones wouldn’t. You can read Maisel’s story here. It’s a fascinating read.

The answer: Not as many as you might think.

There were more than a dozen true freshmen listed on the season-opening depth chart for Penn State that was released on Monday. But according to Maisel’s story, the discussion centered around the assistant coaching staff hoping they would be able to keep most of the 18-member class of 2012 out of the lineup this season.

That includes, very surprisingly to those who have been asking about him, Wyoming Valley West receiver Eugene Lewis. According to the story, receivers coach Stan Hixon told O’Brien that he was going to “try” to redshirt Lewis this season. O’Brien asked what Lewis’ father thought of that decision, and Hixon said he was on board.

Here’s the honest truth: Penn State wasn’t very good at wide receiver even with Justin Brown.

Without him, they are at the very least desperately thin at the position experience-wise. Nobody can comment on them talent-wise, because we’ve never seen most of the 11 receivers that will open camp on Monday play.

Outside of quarterback, there may not be a more important position on the Penn State offense this year than wide receiver, considering the change in attack Bill O’Brien has planned. Matt McGloin is going to have to set big plays in motion. The receivers are the players who are going to have to finish them off. In this offense, it’s a big job. Avoiding tackles. Yards after catch. Not dropping passes, in fact. This becomes a position of precision. And precision is not something coaches generally expect out of inexperienced players.

So, let’s take a look at the receivers Penn State has at its disposal, that we know of:

-Alex Kenney: Has flip-flopped between receiver and defensive back throughout his career. He can really run, as evidenced by his success with the indoor track team at Penn State, but he’s still just learning the position.Career catches: 0

-Shawney Kersey: Somehow, Kersey became the most experienced of the Penn State receivers in a matter of a few weeks. He has played more than 330 snaps during his career, and he is unquestionably the most-accomplished big-play threats among the returners. But that said, he has been used mostly on reverses and kickoffs. Has never established himself as an every-down receiver.Career catches: 6

-Christian Kuntz: Kuntz is a big target, and coaches seem to like what he brings to the receiving corps. But he has never been able to stay healthy enough to make any consistent contributions.Career catches: 1

-Eugene Lewis: The former Wyoming Valley West star is certainly the future at the receiver position for Penn State. It might behoove the coaching staff to redshirt him (which would enable him at least a shot at a bowl game as a senior), but he might be too good to ignore right now. That said, he’s still just a true freshman, and he needs some work.Career catches: 0

-Evan Lewis: Best known as the walk-on who went from cornerback to receiver to kicker and back to receiver last season, Lewis is a gritty, hard-nosed player who decided to return to the team after spring practice to offer some help. Great kid to have around. Not the most gifted athlete in the receiving corps, though.Career catches: 0

-Brandon Moseby-Felder: Moseby-Felder has good size, nice speed, and something so few other receivers in this group has: Starting experience. When Derek Moye broke his foot last season, it was Moseby-Felder who started in his place, making four catches. He needs to run better routes. But he’s a certain starter.Career catches: 7

Shane Phillips: He’s 6-foot-5 and a walk-on. He redshirted last season. This is the extent of my knowledge about Shane Phillips.Career catches: 0

-Allen Robinson: Robinson could turn into a very serviceable receiver, which is exactly the type of player who excels in O’Brien’s offense. He is tall, runs terrific routes and has good hands. He just needs the playing time — which, I would dare to guess, he’s going to get.Career catches: 3

-Jonathan Warner: Another big, slick receiver in the incoming recruiting class. He has the genes, because his father is the great running back Curt Warner. Jonathan Warner isn’t as polished as Eugene Lewis is by any account, so even with the numbers problems, it still wouldn’t be a surprise to see him redshirt.Career catches: 0

-Trevor Williams: Another incoming freshman who might have redshirted. Yet, he could possibly play a big role now.Career catches: 0

-Matt Zanellato: He could be the sleeper of the group, being that he is a redshirt freshman who plenty of people were expecting big things from out of high school.Career catches: 0

So, there you have it. Seven of the 11 receivers you have opening camp tomorrow — assuming none of them leave at the last second — have less career catches than Matt McGloin.

The good news there is that receiver is a position where someone can develop quickly. The passes, after all, have to go to somebody. But you can see how having someone with Brown’s experience would have really helped. There isn’t anyone on this roster with any great experience at receiver, and the scary thing is, there are such numbers problems at every position, it’s hard to expect anybody to move.

What they could do — and this is just a guess — is move Bill Belton back to receiver and let Akeel Lynch and some of the fullbacks carry the load at tailback. Not sure if that helps all that much, anyway. Bottom line is, there are no quick fixes.

That’s a huge keep for Penn State, which dare I say it, had a good day today. Mike Hull, Curtis Dukes and Lynch are all sticking around. And Justin Brown, despite reports that he would, still hasn’t bolted for Oklahoma yet. Lynch will likely play a major role in filling in for Silas Redd, and it was an especially big decision because it keeps a good, young running back away from rival Iowa.

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